UNCG in the News - February 2010

Contact: Dan Nonte

University Relations

(336) 334-4314

Please check back regularly for the latest coverage of UNCG. Links have been included whenever possible. If a link has expired or we missed a news item, please let us know.

• A front-page story in the News & Record provided an update on the university's bid to open a school of pharmacy. If approved by the UNC system, the school could provide a boost to UNCG's externally funded research and to the Triad's economy. “One of our goals is to become a higher-level research university and to generate more sponsored research, externally funded research,” Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor David Perrin told the newspaper. “Once we’re up and fully operational, this should generate between five and six million ... additional dollars a year in externally funded research.” (2-28-10)

• Keith Debbage, a professor of geography, wrote a News & Record column, "Greensboro's Goldilocks Economy," about why he is optimistic about the region's economy. “Call me a naïve booster, but I think we are well prepared for the coming decade as we look for ways to enhance our competitive advantage,” Debbage wrote. (2-28-10)

• Sociology faculty member Steve Kroll-Smith, in a column that appeared in the News & Record, argues that Haiti needs political change and relief from its massive debt burden. “The aim must be transformation - a makeover - of Haiti's political and economic systems,” Kroll-Smith wrote. “Recovery won't do.” (2-28-10)

• NPR station WFDD aired an in-depth interview with kinesiology faculty member Dr. Jenny Etnier about sports psychology and her recently published book "Bring Your 'A' Game: A Young Athlete's Guide to Mental Toughness." (2-26-10)

• All Things Considered, a news program aired by NPR stations across the country, broadcast a segment about UNCG in 3, the university's initiative that will allow highly motivated students to graduate in just three years. Reporter Jessica Jones visited Dr. Michael Beitler's Management 309 course in the Bryan School of Business and Economics. (2-26-10)

• An article in YES! Weekly previewed the annual Carolina Film and Video Festival with a look at "Dear Dad," a documentary by dance MFA student Melissa Pihos about her relationship with her father, NFL Hall of Famer Pete Pihos, who suffers from Alzheimer's. "Dear Dad" and 35 other films will be screened in Elliott University Center during the Feb. 24-27 festival. (2-24-10)

• The Wilmington Star News previewed upcoming North Carolina Dance Festival performances. The festival was started at UNCG 19 years ago by faculty members Jan Van Dyke and John Gamble. The festival is is organized and directed by the North Carolina Dance Project under the direction of Van Dyke. (2-23-10)

• The Greensboro News and Record published an interview with former U.S. Sen. George McGovern. McGovern, who has written a book on Lincoln, spoke at UNCG last month in conjunction with "Forever Free," a Lincoln exhibit visiting Jackson Library through March 5.  (2-22-10)

• U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan and more than 100 other supporters attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, Feb. 15, for My Sister Susan’s House, a haven for pregnant women and young mothers who have been abused. The shelter, designed and largely built by interior architecture students under the guidance of faculty member Robert Michel Charest, is the result of collaboration among nonprofits, UNCG, government agencies and businesses. The ceremony was covered by WFMY, News14 Carolina and WXII (and WXII again). The project also was featured in a front-page story Feb. 21 in the News & Record.

• Senior Molly Miller and her band, the Americana trio Amelia's Mechanics, were the subject of a story in The Daily Advance of Elizabeth City. The band includes fellow UNCG student Kasey Horton. Miller and Horton are taking a semester off from their studies to tour in support of the band's just-released album, "North, South," which is available from iTunes. (2-12-10)

• Nadja Cech, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and her research were the subject of an article that ran in both the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News & Observer about how and why plants such as echinacea work as medicine in the body. (2-8-10)

• Shirl Hoffman, professor emeritus of kinesiology, was interviewed Feb. 7 on the national morning news program FOX & Friends about his book "In Good Game: Christianity and the Culture of Sports." Hoffman also has written the cover story for the February issue of Christianity Today about Christianity and sports. (2-7-10)

• Katie Thieda, a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling, wrote an online piece for PsychCental about preparing to meet with her first therapy clients. Click here to read it. (2-3-10)